Moving On
by msgrits
Summary: Sara's bought a new house. Gil's helping her move. He's trying to change.I’m sorry I haven’t shown you how important you are to me. I’m going to change that.COMPLETE


**Moving On**

**A/N Thanks to SaraC and AussieRayn betas that rock. I wrote this a few weeks ago seeded my a Yahoo Group discussion. **

**Warning there are same sex implications here concerning a past relationship. No slash. No same sex love scenes. All GSR**

**Spoilers-Season One**

"Who's that?"

Gil was sitting the in the middle of the floor in Sara's new house. They were friends again. He had come over to help her move and now they sat going through old photos because Sara was sure she had an old photo of them together.

Gil held up the picture of a lithe blonde creature with a dancer's body.

Sara smirked. "Should have known you would find the hot chick in a box full of old fat people."

"She's very pretty. Though, I'm not much for blondes." He admitted.

"Since when?" Sara pulled a bit of cheese sticking to the side of the pizza box. She thought of Terri Miller, the blonde that had captured his attention for a time when Sara first moved to Vegas.

"Since I was 12 and fell in love with Rachel Rabinowitz."

Sara laughed. "And what did Miss Rachel have that the other little girls didn't?"

Gil took a long swallow from this beer and gave a half smile. "Boobies."

Sara snorted thinking that she should not drink another. "And so started your twisted path under the spell of brunettes."

"Twisted it may be but I have enjoyed the ride."

He put the picture back in the box. Sara eyes grew serious.

"That's Paris." She looked down the congealed cheese.

"Oh?" He knew something of Paris but not much.

"You want to talk about it?"

Sara's face lifted in surprise. "You really are working on this emotional availability thing aren't you?"

Crinkles appeared around his blue eyes. He waited. She opened another beer. He tried not to concentrate on her lips.

"You ever had your heart broken, Gris?"

He nodded.

"What was her name?"

"Elisabeth François. She was from Belgium. Hair the color of midnight. Face like an angel. Nearly as smart as you."

Sara tried not to let the hurt show that the only comparisons he could muster were mental. She was not a pretty woman. She got that. She had always thought he considered her pretty. Obviously not.

He continued his tale. "She gave me my first blowjob. My first hickey too, and then she broke my heart."

"How?"

"Started dating my cousin who lived behind us where I grew up."

Sara blinked. She knew his cousin. He was an archeologist who was in and out of the country intermittently. She had met him once. He looked a great deal like Gil.

"Marvin? He looks just like you. He's a genius too right? I mean I don't get it. Six on one hand…"

Gil raised his bottle, his blue eyes soft and amused. "And you used to be so good for my ego."

She blushed. "Sorry. How old were you?"

"The first time 20. The second time 25."

Sara shook her head and savored the echoes off her new walls. "The dreaded double back. Paris tried that shit."

Gil was quiet for a minute. "So you and Paris…"

Sara sighed heavily wondering if it would distance him from her. "Paris was my girlfriend. She left me for Joseph Enzo."

"How old were you?"

"21."

"When did she try to double back?"

"When I was 25. She married him six months later."

"They still married?" He leaned closer to her. She smelled of sweat brought on by the hot dry heat. Her hair was a tangle of dark curls. She had stopped toying with the color. It was not the inky black of her childhood.

"Yes and now they have two kids."

He wanted to know but wasn't sure how to ask. "So you…"

"Like girls." She grinned and he wanted to kiss her. Instead he occupied his mouth with the beer bottle.

He was embarrassed. It was cute. And this moment it was just right. He was the perfect age. The perfect height. The perfect age. She could tell he wanted to know. Wanted to be her friend. Wasn't going off on some clichéd male fantasy of two chicks going at it.

"Paris was my first girlfriend and my last girlfriend."

"So…"

"I think I am primarily straight. I hardly ever check out women. I mean I walk into a room and check out the men. You know check their package. Their butts. I don't do that much with women."

He ran hand over his beard. "I don't think I want to know this. I will never stand up in front of you again."

She gave a wicked look at his crouch. Nothing to worry about there.

It was nearly dark outside. He should go home. He didn't want to. He wanted to stay here in her small house contemplating if he should kiss her or not. "You were checking out that red head last week. The centerfold."

"So were you AND so was Cath." Sara accused pointed a long finger and smirking with a closed mouth.

"She was hot. You caught Cath? She thinks that's her little secret."

Sara considered him for a second. "I wonder what that's like to have everyone want you. I mean she had the entire lab fawning."

He stared her curiously his mouth open slightly.

"Do I have a booger?" She swiped at her nose. "Cause you let a booger hang from my nose all night I am going to kick your ass."

"You can't be serious."

"What?"

"About the wanting to know what it's like for everyone to want you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means just that. You have every man in the lab wrapped around your little finger."

"That's a lie. You're misreading things." Her reaction was quick and overly modest. She would have never spoken those words if he hadn't commented on her intellect.

He shook his head and took a slice of pizza. "I'm not misreading anything. It's been five years and your stuff still gets processed faster. I am the boss and I can't get DNA processed in one shift. When was the last time you had to pay for a meal?"

"I don't know…" Sara hedged.

"You wouldn't. There is practically a war to see who's going to eat first because they always happen to order extra. Have you ever noticed how suddenly we all order vegetarian entrées?"

"Okay so I have been eating well." She laughed.

They stared at one another for several moments. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." He said suddenly.

Sara glanced down and then at his half smiling lips. "You think so?"

"You know that."

"How would I know that, Gris? How?"

He had the decency to look embarrassed. "I'm sorry I haven't shown you how important you are to me. I'm going to change that. That's why I wanted to help you with the move. You are looking a new and improved Grissom."

"I like my old Grissom." Sara said lightly, enjoying the warmth flowing through her.

He looked around the small cozy house. "I'm glad you are staying and that you bought a house. I always thought someday…"

Sara's mind raced. Someone had stolen the real Grissom. Because the man before her was open and honest and a bit romantic.

"What did you think?" She asked bravely.

"I thought I would buy the first house you lived in. That we might figure this out and make a life."

"I told you Bugman, I figured it out. So tell me about this new improved Grissom. Give me the specs."

His body made scraping sounds when he inched forward on the hardwood floor. "Well the new Gil Grissom is going to be a better friend. He's going to call more and make sure that you are okay. He's going to listen and stay all night or all day eating Ben n Jerry's watching chick flicks if he has too. And when you tell him that something is a good idea he's going to listen."

Sara laughed loudly and touched his strong forearm. It was a man's arm, a primitive arm not created by machines or gyms.

"Everyone will be glad to know that. No more exploding test dummies." Sara inched closer.

"They did not explode. They…okay they exploded but they weren't supposed to do that."

"I think I told you they were going explode."

"That's why I am the new improved model."

"What else?" She poked him. He caught her hand and kissed it.

"The new and improved Gil Grissom is going to be romantic. If romance is still warranted. If not he'll have to do with the chic flicks."

Sara had the grace to blush. "I have never been romanced properly"

She didn't stop laughing until he kissed her.


End file.
